Seafood Sampling StudyUTMB scientists worked
with the Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) and consultant
Wilma Subra to develop a seafood sampling protocol and a training
curriculum for fishermen. UTMB staff and community hub coordinators also
implemented a series of Fishermen’s Forums, which aimed to recruit
local fishermen and raise awareness of the GC-HARMS project. More than
200 fishermen and other residents from targeted coastal communities in
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama attended the Fishermen’s Forums, and
52 of the fishermen agreed to participate in the seafood sampling
study.
The fishermen’s local knowledge of consumption practices and their
observations regarding changes in fish species in oil-impacted locations
were integral to determining sampling site locations. In total, area
fishermen collected thousands of samples of shrimp, blue crab, oysters,
and a variety of finfish from 208 sites during a three-year sampling
period.
Human Health StudyGC-HARMS community partners worked closely with university researchers
throughout all stages of the human health study. Community hubs played
vital roles selecting and recruiting participants, developing and
translating study questionnaires, coordinating logistics, and
disseminating the results. Four hundred individuals were randomly
selected to participate in the study – 100 members from each of three
fishing communities in Mississippi and Louisiana, and 100 residents from
a comparison community in Galveston, Texas, not directly affected by
the oil spill.
OutcomesSeafood Consumption Calculator:
https://www.utmb.edu/scg/ Seafood Sampling Matrix Map:
http://gcharms.leanweb.org/seafood-sampling-map/